


Rest

by sadplant



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Universe, Fluff, Fluffy, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 18:49:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12394020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadplant/pseuds/sadplant
Summary: Naruto had his back.He could rest. -- Gen. Fluff-ish. Post Kazekage Rescue Mission arc.





	Rest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tangerina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerina/gifts).



> Pra você, amorzinha. <3

"I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Sakura opened his clothes and started to heal his chest. They were at Sunagakure’s hospital. Chiyo-baa-sama had brought him back to life, but at the time her chakra was already too little - after the fight with Sasori and saving Sakura's life, it wasn't exactly unexpected - so his ribs and lungs were still damaged because of Deidara's creature bite. The bronchi were particularly difficult to repair, so she closed her eyes in order to _feel_ them better. She could also feel his heart, the air he was breathing, his alveoli passing the oxygen on to the blood.

"Stay still.”

He stood still as only someone who had just experienced death was capable of. She opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were open too. They darted slowly from one corner of the room to the other, as if he was remembering the world around him.

“Sakura”, he said. She felt it on her hand before actually hearing it.

“Yes?”

“You healed me, you saved my brother, you fought for my life.” He wet his dry lips. “Thank you.”

She nodded quickly, surprised by his words, and continued to do her job. She never thought he would thank her. “You don't need to thank me... You did the same back then, when we needed. You tried to bring Sasuke-kun back. I didn't forget.”

He nodded.

“And you're Naruto's friend.” She smiled. “Anyone who is a friend of Naruto's is someone I hold dear too.”

He looked at the window, tracing the sky of his village. “He saved my life. Naruto.”

She thought about correcting him. “ _No, Chiyo-baa-sama saved your life_ ”, she could say. But she knew that wasn't what he meant. She knew what he was talking about. She had seen it happening a thousand times. “Yeah... He does that.”

“Did he save your life too?”

“In many ways.” _“He saves me everyday_ ”, she could say.

“I see.” He looked at her again. “He's the reason why I became a kage.Before I met him I didn't know what it meant to protect anyone.” He lowered his eyes. “I didn't know how important it was.”

Sakura had never seen so many words come out of his mouth. “He's good at friendship”, she said.

He seemed lost in thoughts for a minute. He looked back at the window. “Friend.” Sakura could feel his heart beating on her hand. “I hope someday I’ll become someone like him. Someone that saves people.”

“ _You have saved your entire village_ ”, she could say. But again, _she knew_ what he meant. So instead, she asked:  “are you feeling anything strange? I-” She lowered her voice. “We don’t know which collateral effects Kinsho Tensei may have on its targets, since you’re probably the first one.”

“I feel perfectly fine.”

“Okay. But if you feel any pain or anything strange, please let me know.”

He nodded in response. “I will.”

They stood like that for a while, silently. At some point they heard some noises outside of the room.

“ _Let me in! He’s my friend!_ ”, Gaara was able to understand, at last.

“Let him in”, he said, his voice no louder than a whisper.

The next second the door was open and a mess of orange and yellow was barging into the room. The first thing he truly saw was Naruto’s smile. The second thing he saw was the blue of Naruto’s eyes. He wished he could look at these eyes forever.

“Hi, Sakura-chan!” Naruto said cheerily. She never had the time to answer, because the next second he was talking again: “Hey, Gaara! Are you feeling okay? Man, you have some stubborn guards out there. I told them I was your friend a dozen times but they wouldn’t let me in!” He found himself a chair and sat right beside Gaara’s bed, placing his folded arms on the bed’s edge. “But, hey, you’re a kage, after all. It’s good you have strong guards.” He grinned.

Gaara felt the usual rush of tenderness that Naruto’s presence provided him. He looked at his hand and then to Naruto’s hand, right next to his own. His fingers tingled with the proximity. Would it be too much if he just moved his hand a little? It was a curious thought. He opened his mouth, the words coming out loud and clear. “Thank you”, he said. “For saving me.” He felt the corners of his mouth going up. The rarest expression of all. He was _smiling_.

Naruto’s smile was unwavering. “That’s what friends do.” He looked at what Sakura was doing and pointed with his chin. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.” It hurt like hell, but he was alive. Thanks to Naruto, he was alive.

He looked worried for a moment, then smiled. “I bet that you’ll be well in no time! We jinchuurikis heal fast. When you’re feeling well you should come to Konoha! I’ll take you to Ramen Ichiraku, it’s the best ramen in the whole world. I’ll pay, of course!” He seemed to remember something and scratched his head. “I mean, maybe I could bring you some ramen. Since you’re a kage now, it’s no good if you keep away from the village for too long.”

“I’m not a jinchuuriki anymore, Naruto.”

“But you’re still as strong as they come!"

Sakura got up. “I’ve done everything I could, now you just need to rest. I’ll let Suna’s physicians know which herbs they should use for your medicine.”

“Thank you, Sakura", said Gaara.

She smiled tenderly. “You’re welcome. I’d better get going.” She pointed at the door. “I still have to check how Kankuro is doing.”

Naruto and Gaara watched her go. As soon as Sakura closed the door behind her, Gaara said: “You should come to Suna again soon.”

Naruto turned to face him. “Okay! I’ll come again as soon as I can.”

“You should. You won’t have time to do so when you become hokage.”

“It’s okay. We will see each other anyway, all the time.”

“How so?” Gaara asked, letting his head rest on his pillow, turning to look at Naruto.

“We’ll be strong allies. We’ll have to meet a lot to talk about the alliance between our villages.” Naruto lay his head beside Gaara’s. “That’s what kages should do, after all. Protect their villages. Together we are stronger.”

“Together we are stronger”, said Gaara.

Naruto lift his one of his hands to Gaara’s hair and grabbed the smallest leaf from there. “You already have a leaf on your forehead”, he said, very proud of himself.

Gaara eyed the tiny leaf between Naruto’s fingers. He chuckled a little - it made his chest hurt. “I do”, he said, softly.

They were gazing at each other. Gaara suddenly noticed he was feeling tired. Naruto’s hand came back to his hair, stroking it gently.

“I don’t want to sleep.” He barely knew how to.

“It’s okay”, said Naruto. “I got your back. We will protect each other.”

The sentences sounded out of place, but Gaara didn’t mind. His eyelids felt heavy. His body felt warm and relaxed. He was no longer Ichibi's host. The village was safe.

Naruto had his back.

He could rest.

 


End file.
